Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong

After Time Is a Mother, I wanted to see if Vuong’s debut collection of poetry would be better. I think I preferred this collection but I still did not feel connected to some of the poems. Overall, the novel On Earth We are Briefly Gorgeous is my favourite of Vuong’s works.

Aug 28-Sept 1, 2024.

Everything Is OK by Debbie Tung

Debbie Tung is one of my best discoveries of this year. I loved this graphic memoir even more than the others. It hit me close to home as another Asian woman who has had anxiety and depression. It deeply resonated with my own mental health journey. Beautiful.

Sept 1-2, 2024.

The Dictionary Story by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston

Lovely, well done children’s book about a dictionary who tried to make her own story. It was sweet and there were so many details that I could read it over again.

Sept 3, 2024.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, Ramon de Ocampo (narrator)

55% on audiobook. After a month full of literary books, I wanted easy going fiction. I had low expectations going into this because I am not a big contemporary romance fan. The audiobook was a great listen to on Labour Day as I tidied up and went on walks. I could have easily listened to all of it because the narrator did a great job. I appreciated the friendships and family relationships in the book. The book had enough stakes but it was not too stressful. The author did a good job of balancing the plot and the characters. I will probably read another book by McQuiston.

1.25-1.5x. Sept 1-4, 2024.

Change Your Questions, Change Your Life: 10 Powerful Tools for Life and Work by Marilee G. Adams, Suzanne Toren (Narrator)

A CBT book that was recommended by my CBT-I instructor over a year ago. The book is written as a fictional story about a man who has a crisis at work. The actual story and plot are boring and serve only as a way to apply the process and questions. I do find this particular CBT method useful as it’s shorter and less intense than others I’ve tried in therapy. In any case, I am considering getting the print book and/workbook since I think I learn best with that method.

1.25x. Aug 26-Sept 5, 2024.